Hi, this winter was bad for me due to hospitalization, so I was not able to properly take care of my bees (add more of isolation around my hive). So, since yesterday was a warmer day, I've guessed that at least some bees will go out, but since none came out, I've opened up and saw that they've died. Now, I am left with a lot of combs (I will melt them), few kilograms of capped honey and a lot of cells that I don't know what to do with.
I know that I haven't stoped adding syrup on time, so last fall they did not manage to process all of the syrup in time. What was left was a lot of cells with liquid in them. Now I don't know what to do with it - should I just use capped honey? What about cells that have like mixed ingredients? Here is the picture - what would you use?

Yes, I do have a lot of Ivy groving around my house and in the park behind my house, I mean, A LOT. Could it be that it is what Ivy honey looks like?
On the top quarter of the comb (not seen on the picture) there is a lot of capped honey which I plan to take.
So, my dilemma is: would it be of a better use to give that uncapped honey to new swarm that I am willing to purchase or to leave it to be robbed? The problem is that I have a very big nest of yellow jackets in a neighbours roof and they would probably lick it clean. How much chance is that I would attract the swarm that way?

Freezing is a good solution. I would cut the comb off the bar and cut off and extract whatever is good capped honey and freeze the rest until swarming season and then reattach to a bar with masking tape and see if you get any scout bee interest.
There is nothing much lost if wasps come and clean it out first, although I would have expected your neighbour's wasps nest to have died out over winter, unless you have a warm climate.

I assumed it was crystallised syrup because you mentioned feeding them syrup, but it certainly could be crystallised ivy honey.

As far as I'm aware, the varroa won't survive without bees to live off, so if that was the cause of the colony's collapse then it shouldn't be a problem.

I must confess that I would be less inclined to give it to a package than a swarm or established colony.... I just don't trust package bees to thrive like a swarm will.

I would be inclined to make a bait hive and put this comb into it and put it up somewhere more remote if you are intending to recolonize your hive with a package.... maybe a friend or relatives garden would be a good location, in the hope of attracting a swarm.... and let your package bees draw out their own comb. Then move the bait hive back home if it is successful.

Some of this honey will have started to ferment and whilst I am confident a swarm could deal with it, I would just be wary of giving it to a package.

That is just a gut feeling, and I'm sure there are others who would probably not even let a swarm have it. I think there is a difference between putting it in a hive that you then put bees into, so they have to deal with it and putting it into an empty box that bees have a choice to inhabit. Hope that makes sense.

What about empty combs - do you think that it would be useful for bees that I just reatach it to the bars. That way I think I would both save them some time in drawing a comb and provide streight combs from the start?

Personally I'd be less inclined to put up a bait hive. But that is because most beekeepers around here try their best to avoid swarms. The chances of actually catching a swarm are therefore pretty remote and I don't see much reason to feed the wasps.

However that depends a lot on your location of course.

If you're getting packaged bees I'd thing it would be a great idea to give them a head start with some combs. Sure, package bees are probably less good in establishing themselves, but that is the exact reason why they can use a bit more support than a swarm.

Which type of hives do you use? Can you just leave the combs on the bars and freeze them like that? Sounds much easier to me than force the bees to somehow reattach them.

If possible at all I'd rather get a swarm from a trustworthy, local beekeeper than a package. That would probably give you bees adapted to your location, seasons and landscape, support another beekeeper and avoid an unnecessary animal transport. After all bee's did not evolve to be shipped with DHL...

I know that in many regions in the world packaged bees are the only viable solution for getting bees. Personally I would regard that as the last resort.

I have two KTBH. I live in Serbia and I have local beekeeping clubs, so by "package swarm" I meant a box with bees rather than bees with established frames with brood (In serbia everyone uses only the "standard" hives, no new hippy tipe of hives (like TBH). So, I will probably buy two swarms from local beekeepers (without brood).
Re: cutting out the capped cells - now that they are much lighter (whitout capped honey), I don't think it will be a problem to reatach it to bars. I'll try on one, and if it is ok, I'll do with other bars as well.

Personally I'd be less inclined to put up a bait hive. But that is because most beekeepers around here try their best to avoid swarms. The chances of actually catching a swarm are therefore pretty remote and I don't see much reason to feed the wasps.

Few beekeepers are 100% successful at swarm control. Using empty brood comb (recommended) will prevent wasp interest. Wasps also tend to be looking more for protein during the swarming season and carbs (honey) in late summer. Any honey is more likely to get robbed by other bees.

Conserving wild bees

Research suggests that bumble bee boxes have a very low success rate in actually attracting bees into them. We find that if you create an environment where first of all you can attract mice inside, such as a pile of stones, a drystone wall, paving slabs with intentionally made cavities underneath, this will increase the success rate.

Most bumble bee species need a dry space about the size a football, with a narrow entrance tunnel approximately 2cm in diameter and 20 cm long. Most species nest underground along the base of a linear feature such as a hedge or wall. Sites need to be sheltered and out of direct sunlight.